Tawhidul Islam, Cox's Bazar 

Police has been looking  for a man named Mohammad Shafiullah, alleged leader of a kidnapping ring, in connection with the abduction of six men from the same village in Sylhet’s Zakiganj upazila. 

The six victims were reportedly held captive deep in the hills of Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, and were rescued by police on Tuesday night from an area called Rajarchar Bonbit in Teknaf Sadar Union.

Following the rescue, one of the abductees, Rashid Ahmed, filed a case with Teknaf Police Station, naming Mohammad Shafiullah as the prime accused. However, no further identifying details about Shafiullah were provided in the case statement.

Confirming the incident, Teknaf Model Police Station’s Investigation Officer, Himel Roy, stated that the kidnappers had held the six men captive in the hills with the intention of trafficking them to Indonesia via sea routes. Acting on this information, police conducted a combing operation and successfully rescued the six victims.

The rescued men will be presented before the court, where they are expected to give statements under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Further action will be taken as per the court’s instructions, said the officer.

According to family sources, on April 15, six residents from West Loharmohol village of Khalachhara Union in Zakiganj upazila, Sylhet, had set off for Cox’s Bazar in search of work. They last contacted their families after arriving in Cox’s Bazar on April 16, after which their phones were found switched off.

The abductees have been identified as Rashid Ahmed (20), son of Lukuch Ali; Maruf Ahmed (18), son of Faruq Ahmed; Shahin Ahmed (21), son of Azir Uddin; Emad Uddin (22), son of Abdul Mannan; Khaled Hasan (19), son of Sufor Uddin; and Abdul Jalil (55), son of late Sobor Ali. All of them are residents of Eidgaon Bazar area in Zakiganj upazila, Sylhet.

On Tuesday evening, Bahuddin, a relative of three of the victims, along with other family members, lodged a general complaint with Teknaf Police Station against unidentified abductors. Following the complaint, a police team launched an investigation and subsequently rescued the victims.

Investigation Officer Himel Roy added that while the case names Mohammad Shafiullah as the prime accused, no further details are available at this stage. Efforts to locate and arrest him are ongoing, with one of the six victims being familiar with Shafiullah by name.

Data from Cox’s Bazar district police and victims’ families reveal that over the past 15 months, at least 251 people have been abducted from different areas of Teknaf and 88 from Ukhiya. Most of the abductees were released after paying ransom, while three were reportedly killed.